Sunday Night Thoughts: July 15, 2018

Once again, it’s Sunday night in Atlanta and I’m listening to the slow jams on the radio. Right now, it’s storming. Usually, on Sunday nights, it’s quiet or simply raining, but this particular one is pretty noisy. No weather concerns, though.

Tonight I’m going to get into something that has kind of plagued me for a while, ever since I started putting my thoughts on a public medium. One of the things that I wanted to do when I converted jbburrage.com into a blog was to have the freedom to express my thoughts. While I’ve never really been the one to practice a whole lot of restraint of what I put into my work, I did discover that I often find myself keeping things under wraps, because I was worried about my brand or that I didn’t want people to write me off because I can be a little blunt. But I realized that it wasn’t helping me professionally or personally. I eventually decided to make this a part of my brand.

But it’s not about using this to build a brand. It’s about having a voice. It’s about using my voice.

To be clear, I don’t write material to bash people. Every once in a while I might go into a rant, but I don’t go into the rants that I see people go into; those rants I consider unnecessary. But I created this blog as a haven for my thoughts. Some people have a problem with that. People are entitled to their opinions about my work, but I’m also entitled to express my opinions anyway I like. As long as I’m not attacking anyone’s race, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender, or disabilities, I feel that I can say what I want on my own blog or any other work that I create that’s not for anyone who has hired me to write for them.

If I say something about race on this blog, I’m addressing the issues within our communities. If I’m talking about any social issues, I’m talking about how they affect our community. So when people tell me I need to tone down what I’m saying because certain people might not like it or when I get lectures on what I should say and how I should say it, I get a tad bit peed.

In the last year, I have made a name for myself internationally as being the voice for the voiceless. It’s something that I take very seriously. So how can I be that voice when my own voice is being restricted? I can’t.

When I brought out this blog, I knew that it would be controversial. I knew that some people would be shocked by my opinions and observations, and how I express them. But that was the point of this blog in the first place. I’m going to do a little cussing. I’m going to state strong positions. I’m not holding back my freedom of speech and freedom of thought because some people might not like what I say. I hear people say bullshit all of the time, sometimes in my presence, and I do a lot of self-control because I let them say what they have to say. I allow them to state their opinions and I either choose to respond or walk away. Sometimes I walk away, sometimes I respond. But that’s my choice, even if the person says something completely ignorant and uncalled for.

But I will not hold back my opinions and expressions, especially on my own blog, because somebody’s feelings might get hurt.

Again, I don’t write to attack people. I don’t come after people specifically unless it’s an issue that has something to do with that person. I do write to bring things to the forefront because some of my fellow writers are simply scared to do so. People won’t like everything I have to say, but I will say it. I’ve earned a lot of respect because of that, and I’m not betraying that principle now.

So in conclusion, I started this blog to express my thoughts, address issues, and feel free. This is my safe haven because it’s been a while since I’ve felt like I had one. No one is going to take that haven away from me. To ask me to restrict myself in my own haven is simply shameful.

That’s all I got for tonight. I’m no longer working under my company Phoenix Endeavors, Inc. I’m now working The Mad Writer Project, LLC. I will explain more about this new company and the work I’ll be doing with this company over the next few weeks.

Till next time, have a great week. If I don’t be on the site anytime during the week, well you know the rest.

Published by JB Burrage

I'm a Meridian, Mississippi native, and proud Army veteran. I currently live somewhere in the great metropolis of Atlanta, because I wanted to be close to home while still being close to pretty city buildings and lights. Oh...also so I could finally set up shop somewhere, and Atlanta was the perfect place to set up while still living in the South. As a creative writer, I'm using this blog/website as an outreach for the promotion of my various work, such as books and plays, as well as address mental health issues. I'm also running a company called The Mad Writer Project, LLC, which publishes and develop my various work.
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